Heal Me
by RubyLune
Summary: What if he hesitated? What if he hadn't acted to stop Ozai? What if Aang lost? What could she do? A sad Kataang story.


Aang felt his feet touch the ground, the Spirit of the Avatar fading from him. He had finally learned to control it.

"No, I won't end it like this." He turned his head slightly, a frown creasing his brow. Then he heard Ozai speak.

"Even with all the power in the world, you are still weak!" The menacing voice was followed by a sudden sharp intake of breath.

Aang felt Ozai moving, concentrating his Earthbending the way Toph had taught him. But then he heard a voice.

_Aang..._

He hesitated, turning. He knew that voice.

Intense heat loomed up in front of him, so hot and bright he felt like he was standing next to the sun, and then something as smooth as silk yet as cold as ice licked across his chest, his right arm and leg, and the right side of his face, from the edge of his eye past his ear. It froze him, so cold it was burning him – and he realised that it wasn't cold as ice, it was past scalding, and it was burning him inside and out.

Aang let out a cry of pain. His chest felt like it was on fire; he couldn't feel his arm or leg any more, and he was only vaguely aware of his body crumbling to the ground, grazed by the hard rock pillars.

Everything went from red to black.

_Aang..._

Musical...

_Aang!_

A musical voice was calling, distress ringing in it...

_Aang... no... Aang!_

An angel... an angel was crying...

_No... no, please... Aang, Aang..._

She shouldn't cry... the angel shouldn't cry...

_Please... please... Aang..._

Her voice was too loud, it was hurting his ears...

"_AANG!"_

Aang felt a soft groan escape him. He was sore all over; his chest felt like it was filled with shards of ice and stone, all piercing his heart and lungs, he was finding it difficult to breath. He opened his eyes a fraction, the bright light above him stinging them. Then two wide gems of blue swam into focus, followed by a face befitting angels, despite the smudges of dirt on her cheeks.

"K...tara..." he breathed.

"Oh, Aang!" Katara's voice was husky and choked, and as she came more into focus he spotted the trails of tears streaking down her cheeks. Her hair was messy and stringy, sticking in knots and clumps over her shoulders and down her back.

"...K..."

"Shh..." Katara quietened him. "Don't try to talk... you're... badly injured..." She bit her lip, and Aang became aware of the soft pressure of her hands over his bare chest, and a faint blue glow lighting her face from below. She was healing him.

"...O...zai..."

"He's dead." Katara said rather roughly. "Zuko, Toph and I got back here just before-" she broke off. Aang knew what she had been about to say. Before the Firelord had finished him off.

"Aang..." Katara began again. Her voice was beginning to break from strain.

"Thanks..." Aang muttered groggily. "You... saved... a...gain..."

Katara smiled weakly down at him. "I couldn't let you leave me." But she bit her lip again, and something in her eyes was hidden, shrouded.

"...Tara?" Aang asked, concerned. "What... wrong..?" He coughed, and the jerking motion in his chest sent his body into spasms of pain. Katara had healed him before and he'd never felt this sort of pain.

Now she was leaning further over him, her face twisted with pain and concern. One of her hands had moved to the left side of his head and the blue healing glow had gone. Through the pain, Aang realised.

"You... can't..." he began, panting and trying to ignore the stabbing feeling in his lungs. Katara tried to quieten him again, softly murmuring.

"Aang, don't speak..."

"Heal... me... y... can't..." Katara's eyes blurred, and she blinked swiftly to get rid of the tears Aang knew had appeared there.

"I..." she began, her voice husky again.

Aang couldn't raise his right arm, but he raised his left hand wearily, struggling against the fatigue threatening to drag him away. He found Katara's cheek, gently wiping the tear trails away with his thumb.

"K'tara..." he whispered, and she leaned closer to hear his voice. "I... love..." He coughed again, and his body spasmed, causing him to gasp in pain.

Katara's lips were trembling. "I love you too, Aang," she whispered. "I love you. Always." She swallowed and blinked rapidly.

Aang closed his eyes with a ragged sigh, then opened them again, desperately trying to focus on Katara's face. "K...k...iss me..." His voice was no more than a breath, and he wondered if she could even hear him, but her eyes widened in horror.

"...K... please... Ta... ra..."

Katara's hand aside his face was shaking. She leaned down, careful not to put any weight on his right side. Aang's eyes flickered. She could feel his hot, shallow breath on her face; they were no more than an inch away. Her trembling lips met his, barely touching, but then an unknown strength suddenly in Aang's hand pulled her face closer to his, turning his head, pressing his lips to hers as strongly as he could. Katara responded how he couldn't; Aang's lips parted, and so did hers, turning her head even more to press her mouth to his. His tongue found her bottom lip and ran silkily along it, and Katara let hers touch his, moving her mouth slowly against his. They both simultaneously pulled back for an instant, before moving their lips together again, each finding their own strength to press their mouths harder against each other. Katara retracted her tongue, shifting her weight so that she could turn her head closer to his, deepening the kiss even more. Then Aang's lips stopped. Katara felt his hand on her cheek drop uselessly onto the ground, felt him stop responding, felt his life die. She pulled her face back from his, staring down at him, his eyes closed, his lips still slightly parted, his skin paler than usual.

The tears she had been holding back suddenly flowed freely, spilling down her cheeks and falling in droplets over Aang's face. Her body racked with sobs, her hands clutched at his shoulders, stroked his face; she bent and kissed his forehead, his cheek where one of her salty tears had fallen, his lips. Over and over, she kissed his lips, crying, whispering, "I love you... Aang, I love you, always..."

She had died when Aang had. She had pulled herself free of his heavy, lifeless arms and detached herself from her body, from her world, for her world was a nightmare without him. She found him and held him, and he held her, his arms encasing her body with warmth and murmuring his love into her ear, soothing her, telling her everything was okay, she was home now.

Sokka held his sister's shaking body against him, whispering to her quietly that everything was okay, though he believed nothing of the sort. He limped a couple of steps along the path towards Appa, wincing as his leg began to give way. The healers had told him that his leg still had another couple of weeks of healing before he could walk properly, but he had wanted to hold his sister, comfort her, comfort himself. A rough hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him, and Sokka looked around. Zuko stood there, arms out, a soft frown on his face. Sokka nodded, and shifted Katara into Zuko's arms, before turning and climbing his way onto the bison's back. Suki and Toph sat there already. His father had remained at the camp, still too distressed at Katara's state to be near her for too long.

Zuko climbed up into the saddle and sat Katara down near the back on a make-shift bed of blankets. She slumped over, half-lying, half-sitting, eyes open and staring into space.

Sokka flicked the reins and Appa jumped into flight. He knew where he was going, and Sokka peered at his sister again. Her frame had diminished due to her lack of food over the past two weeks. Sometimes she wouldn't be able to eat at all, and would only drink when Sokka tipped it into her mouth himself. She was unbelievably skinny, her bones and ribcage jutting out under her paler-than-usual skin, and her messy, knotted hair was strewn over her shoulders and face. She never bothered to brush it away, and seemed unaware of its, or anything or anyone else's presence. Her blue eyes had become dull, almost grey, and seemed never to catch the light, making them look blank and milky. She never spoke anymore either, except in her dreams, or nightmares, as was more likely. She would only repeat one thing, one name, "Aang." over and over, and then wake up screaming. But as soon as her sobs would cease, she would forget, and fall asleep again, and Sokka would be left sitting beside her, just in case she woke again. She had black rings all around her eyes, and her cheeks had hollowed, giving her a haunted, dead look.

Sokka frowned sadly and looked ahead of him again. The healers had said she might last another week or so, but not to keep his hopes up. They said she had lost the will to live, that she was only physically still alive, that she was entirely dead inside.

Sokka knew where she was, unbound by her body. She was with the one person that had given her hope, the one person who she might have still been alive for if he had survived.

She was with Aang.


End file.
